Skip to main content

Remember Wall-E? You could film it for real in Amazon’s new fulfillment centers

It’s been a long-standing fear for decades: Robots replacing humans in the workforce. And there is perhaps no better realization of that fear than Amazon’s new massive fulfillment center, which uses a fleet of robots to move goods around the warehouse instead of people, reports USA Today.

These robots, 15,000 to be exact, are a result of Amazon’s $775 million purchase of robot-maker Kiva Systems back in 2012 and testing in 2013. Looking like a domesticated space robot from Wall-E crashed into a Roomba, these Kiva robots are programmed to bring items that each packer at a packing station needs instead of the traditional method, which involved packers walking to these shelving units and picking out the items themselves. More specifically, the programming tells these robots to bring shelving units with those items to the packers.

Kiva robots
Source: Merger Verger Image used with permission by copyright holder

Don’t let their size deceive you, though, as these little buggers weigh roughly 350 pounds and can lift items twice their weight, according to Dave Clark, Amazon’s senior vice president for worldwide operation and customer service. Because of their ability to bring these not-so-light shelving units to packers while moving in narrow lanes, Amazon can double the inventory it holds in fulfillment centers. “This dramatically increases what’s available locally, because we can get so much more inventory into one space.”

Recommended Videos

The robots could also allow Amazon to save $450 million to $900 million a year in labor expenses, reports The Sacramento Bee. Even though the same outlet also reported that Amazon will hire 80,000 seasonal workers to fight the onslaught of holiday deliveries, it’s only a matter of time until these Kiva robots become the norm in all of Amazon’s fulfillment centers.

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
Rivian, VW venture kicks off next-gen platform for R1, Scout EVs
Rivian R2, R3, and R3X

The big challenge for Rivian, the EV maker known for its innovative electric and software systems, has long been how to reach the next stage of growth.

That stage came within reach in June, when the California-based company and Volkswagen announced a joint venture involving a $5 billion injection from the German automaker.

Read more
Hyundai teases Ioniq 9 electric SUV’s interior ahead of expected launch
hyundai ioniq 9 teaser launch 63892 image1hyundaimotorpresentsfirstlookationiq9embarkingonaneweraofspaciousevdesign

The Ioniq 9, the much anticipated three-row, electric SUV from Hyundai, will be officially unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show next week.

Selected by Newsweek as one of America’s most anticipated new vehicles of 2025, the Ioniq 9 recently had its name changed from the Ioniq 7, which would have numerically followed the popular Ioniq 6, to signal the SUV as Hyundai’s new flagship EV model.

Read more
Trump administration prepares to end Biden’s EV tax incentive, report says
president biden drives 2022 ford f 150 lightning electric pickup truck prototype visits rouge vehicle center

If you’re looking to buy or lease an electric vehicle (EV) and benefit from the Biden administration’s $7,500 tax incentive, you’d better act soon.

The transition team of the incoming Trump administration is already planning to end the credit, according to a report from Reuters citing sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Read more